You're My Sweetheart
by myeveryday
Summary: Rachel thought for a moment. "Well, he's wonderful. He's tall, and he played football. But he likes music, too. He has amber eyes and messy hair and the sweetest smile. Are you done asking questions about my boyfriend now?" When her friends nodded their heads, Rachel sighed. If only said boyfriend was real. AU, Finchel-Prompt


**Author's Note: I couldn't resist filling the Mr. Perfect prompt. This is from the Finchel-Prompts on Tumblr. I don't have a Tumblr (I tried and I couldn't figure it out), but I do like to check it every now and then to see if there's a good prompt. Please enjoy! This story title comes from "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers.**

**Also, I'm changing this prompt up a bit. I'm making Rachel, Kurt, and Tina seniors in high school, just because I want to.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**i.**

"Would you two just _leave me alone?_"

Kurt Hummel and Tina Cohen-Chang just gave their friend innocent looks, despite the fact that they had cornered her by her locker. Rachel Berry sighed as she took her books needed for her afternoon classes out of her locker. She shut it and turned towards Kurt and Tina.

"You promised that you would leave me alone."

"I promised no such thing!" Kurt declared as he and Tina followed Rachel down the hallway.

Rachel flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Tina did."

"Tina!"

"What?" The other girl shrugged her shoulders. "It was the only way I could get her to stop complaining."

Kurt looped his arm through Rachel's while Tina did the same on her other side. "Since Tina made the promise when I wasn't there, it isn't valid. Anyway, this is going to be the year that we get you a boyfriend."

Rachel sighed. "Kurt, you know that I just want to focus on school and the winter musical right now."

Kurt waved his hand dismissively. "Rachel, you've already practically been accepted to the Tisch School at NYU. Which is your dream school, by the way. And Mr. Schue would be crazy if he didn't give you the lead in the musical this year. Christine is one of the roles that you were born to play."

"I don't need to have a boyfriend right now," Rachel said stubbornly.

"It's only because that jerk broke your heart when you were up in New York this past summer," Tina pointed out.

Rachel turned to glare at her friend. "I thought we agreed that we would never mention him again."

"I'm sorry! I was just stating a fact. Anyway, we need to get you out of this funk. Kurt already has a great guy to set you up with."

Rachel untangled her arms from her friends' and stepped towards her class. "No. Please give it a rest for now." She smiled and said goodbye to them before she disappeared into her class.

Kurt and Tina shared a look. "Don't worry," Kurt said. "By the end of this year, she'll have a boyfriend."

* * *

**ii.**

Rachel groaned as Kurt slapped a picture down in front of her. "This is Tom," he said. "He's a senior at Carmel. Which I know is our rival school, but he's cute, no? I think the two of you would have a great first date together."

"Kurt, I told you that I didn't want to date anyone right now! And besides, he definitely doesn't look like he's my type." Rachel shook her head and pushed the picture away.

Kurt pushed it back towards her. "He's adorable!"

"He's short," Rachel pointed out. "In fact, he looks more like someone _you_ would like to date."

"We're not focusing on me right now. Give me one good reason as to why you won't date him."

"I already told you, Kurt. He's not my type."

Kurt threw his hands up in the air. "That's not a good enough reason!"

"That's a very good reason, Kurt." To make her point, Rachel picked the picture up and folded it in half. She tucked it into Kurt's shirt pocket and then patted it as she walked by. "You should ask him out instead."

* * *

**iii.**

"Hello, my dear Rachel!"

Rachel didn't look up from the book of sheet music she was perusing. "Hello, Tina." Tina still didn't say anything, so Rachel was assuming that her friend was waiting for her full attention. With a sigh, Rachel shut the book and looked up.

Tina was holding a small slip of paper. Her face was practically shining with excitement as she held it out to Rachel. With a sigh, Rachel took it and unfolded it. When she saw a series of numbers on it, she frowned and looked up at Tina in confusion.

"Tina, what is this?"

Tina grinned at Rachel. "That is the number of the cute boy I just met at Starbucks. I showed him your picture and asked him if he would like to go out with you. He said yes, and that's his number! You have to call him!"

"Oh my God! Tina!" Rachel couldn't believe the words coming out of her friend's mouth right now. "Not you too!"

"Rachel, we're just trying to help you. Is it so bad for us to want to set you up with someone?"

Rachel stood up and grabbed her purse and the book she had been looking through. "Yes. Especially since I currently do not want to be set up. You can keep that number, Tina. I'll see you later."

* * *

**iv.**

Rachel stood in front of her two friends and gave them a serious look. "We are going to have a nice movie night tonight," she declared. "Which means that there will be no talking of my dating life. Or lack thereof."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Alright. There's no need to be dramatic." Tina elbowed Kurt for being snarky, but he just ignored her and went to go put the movie in. They were going to watch _The Sound of Music_, which happened to be a favorite of theirs.

It wasn't exactly the response that Rachel had been looking for, but she would take it. Rachel settled onto the couch just as the front door opened. In walked in a tall man with messy brown hair and bright amber eyes. He had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and he was smiling as he walked into the house.

Kurt jumped up from in front of the television. "Finn! I forgot that you were coming home today!"

Finn Hudson gave Kurt an amused look. "I'm so glad that you care so much about me."

"You know that's not true." Kurt stood and hugged his stepbrother. "How long is your fall break?"

"I'm home for five days," Finn said. He looked over Kurt's shoulder to see Tina sitting in the armchair and Rachel on the couch. "Hey, Tina. Hey, Rachel. How are you?"

While Tina answered Finn, Rachel took a moment to take in Finn's appearance. She knew that he was a sophomore at Pace University, and she knew that he was majoring in education. And though Rachel wouldn't admit it to anyone, she had had a bit of a crush on him ever since she was a freshman at McKinley and he was a junior.

She would never tell Kurt or Tina that, since she wasn't really sure how they would react to it. Her little fantasies about Finn had always been her own, and she didn't really want to share them with the world. Especially since she wasn't sure that Finn would go for someone like her.

Rachel realized that it was her turn to talk. "I'm doing well, Finn. How are you?"

Finn gave her that easy smile. "I'm great. I'm just really glad that it's fall break. What are you three up to?"

"It's movie night!" Tina exclaimed. "We're watching _The Sound of Music._"

"And we're probably going to be singing along to it," Kurt added. "So you can watch with us or plug in some headphones."

Finn dropped his bag next to the sofa and sat next to Rachel. "I think I'll watch with the three of you."

Rachel hoped that no one could see her blush.

* * *

**v.**

Two days later, Rachel found herself at the Lima Bean. She was waiting patiently for Kurt and Tina to arrive for their weekly coffee date. She tapped her fingers on the table and took a sip of her green tea. It normally wasn't like the two of them to be this late, and Rachel instinctively knew that something was up.

Her suspicions were confirmed when someone who wasn't Kurt or Tina sat down in the chair across from her. He was blonde and wearing a smirk on his face.

"Um… Can I help you?" Rachel asked.

Despite Rachel's unwelcoming attitude, he smiled. "I'm Josh, and I know that you're Rachel Berry. Kurt and Tina told me that you were looking for a date."

Rachel stared at him for a long moment, her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She stood up and grabbed her bag and drink. "Goodbye."

She was fuming with anger as she left the Lima Bean and headed towards her car. She knew that she would find Tina at Kurt's house, since this was obviously something that had been planned. And she couldn't wait to go and give them a piece of her mind.

* * *

**vi.**

"What are the two of you doing?"

Neither Kurt nor Tina looked away from the window they were settled in front of. "We're waiting for Rachel to get here," Tina said.

Kurt couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "She's going to be so angry."

Finn raised an eyebrow. "I'm not really sure how Rachel being angry would be funny."

"It's funny because we've spent the past two months trying to set Rachel up with someone," Tina explained. "We finally tricked her into going on a date with someone."

"But since we know Rachel so well, we also know that she won't last more than two seconds with that guy."

Finn shook his head. "I don't understand you."

* * *

**vii.**

Rachel stomped right up to the Hudson-Hummel front door. She didn't even bother to knock; instead, she stalked right into the house. She found Kurt and Tina huddled in front of the front window, and they both turned expectantly towards her. They had obviously been waiting for her, but Rachel wasn't going to let that stop her from yelling at them.

"Alright, let's hear it," Kurt said before Rachel could begin. "Why couldn't you date this guy? Let me guess: he was too short."

Tina didn't hesitate to jump in. "His hair was too blonde."

"You didn't like the shirt he was wearing."

"You didn't like his shoes."

"And my personal favorite: you want to focus on your career."

"Even though you don't actually have a career yet."

"Excuse me." Rachel held her hands up. "I do so have a career. I've been building my resume since I was eight years old. And secondly, none of those reasons are correct."

"Oh really?" Kurt gave Rachel a challenging look. "Then please do give us the reason."

And before Rachel could stop herself, she suddenly blurted: "I already have a boyfriend!"

* * *

**viii.**

"Tell us about your boyfriend."

Rachel couldn't believe that it had been twenty-four hours since she had spoken without thinking, and Kurt and Tina were still trying to find information out about her supposed boyfriend. She was really kicking herself for blurting that out, since she had now backed herself into a corner.

"I really don't want to get into this right now. The relationship is still new, and I don't want to do anything to ruin it." There. That excuse should buy her a little more time. She could only hope that she had appealed to Kurt and Tina's sympathy.

Kurt gave her a look that stated her clearly didn't buy her excuse. "Oh really? And how would telling Tina and I—who happen to be your two best friends—about him ruin your relationship?"

Fortunately, Rachel had the perfect response for that. "Because the two of you would practically start stalking him. There's no way that I would unleash the two of you on him yet."

Tina tilted her head. "That's fair. Rachel does make a very good point."

"Fine, I'll let that excuse slide," Kurt relented. "But I still want to know more about him!"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Fine. If I tell you a little bit about him, will you two let this go?"

Kurt and Tina eagerly nodded their heads. Rachel quickly scrambled for every thought she had ever liked about guys and decided to combine them all into one perfect man. She could keep this going for a month or two before there was an unfortunate breakup.

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well, he's wonderful. He's tall, and he played football. But he likes music, too. He has amber eyes and messy hair and the sweetest smile. Are you done asking questions about my boyfriend now?" When her friends nodded their heads, Rachel sighed. If only said boyfriend was real.

"Wait," Tina said. "One more quick question."

Rachel nodded her head. "I'll allow one more quick question."

"What's his name?"

Rachel knew that the safest thing to do would be to give only a first name. She subtly scanned the room and picked the first name she found on the cover of a magazine.

"His name is Cory."

* * *

**ix.**

Rachel let out a sigh of relief as she walked into the kitchen. A nice, long hour had passed without Kurt and Tina asking relentless questions. She had volunteered to gather drinks for everyone, as they decided to stay in for another movie night.

"You look tired."

Rachel jumped as she turned to find Finn entering the kitchen from his basement bedroom. She tried to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened when she saw him, but she really couldn't. So she just settled for refilling their glasses with water.

"I've been under an interrogation from Kurt and Tina for the past two hours. It's just nice to get a reprieve," Rachel admitted.

"Ah." Finn chuckled. "Kurt has questioned me before. It's not fun. I feel your pain." He came up behind Rachel and plucked a glass from the shelf over her head. That half smile was on his face as he went over to the sink and filled his glass with water. "What were they asking you about?"

Rachel ran her fingers through her hair. She was exhausted just thinking about the situation she had managed to get herself into. And she was also trying not to think of the way Finn's chest had just brushed up against her back. "I'm sure you've heard about their plan to set me up with someone."

Finn nodded his head. "They were giggling about it earlier today."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Of course they were. Anyway, the guy they tried to set me up with earlier today was the last straw. It's nice that they want to help, but I'm kind of fed up with it."

"Kurt considers himself an amateur matchmaker," Finn said. "When he was eight, he was actually the one that ended up setting our parents up. Ever since then, he thinks that he knows which couples are meant to be together."

Rachel made a face. "He's obviously not as good as he thought he was. The boys that he and Tina have tried to set me up with so far are the exact opposite of what I want."

"What did you end up telling them?"

The question caught Rachel so off guard that she ended up immediately looking away from Finn. She cleared her throat and tried to recover from her little misstep.

"I ended up telling them about my boyfriend," Rachel told Finn.

Finn tilted his head as he studied her. After a long moment, he finally said, "He's not real."

Rachel blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"Your boyfriend. He's not real."

Rachel avoided Finn's gaze. His amber eyes were just too intense for her at the moment, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to give the answer she wanted if she held his gaze. She focused her own eyes over his shoulder to at least make it seem like she was looking at him.

"What are you talking about, Finn? Of course he's real. I could tell you about him, if you wanted me to."

"No you can't, because he's not real." Finn moved until he was standing right in front of Rachel. He stooped until he caught her eye. "Is he?"

Rachel finally met Finn's gaze. She didn't know how he figured it out, but he did. "No," she finally admitted quietly. "He's not." When Finn smiled gently at Rachel, she relaxed. He wasn't judging her decision to completely make a boyfriend up at all. Instead, he actually seemed kind of amused by the situation.

"They wouldn't stop asking question," Rachel explained. "I just cracked."

Finn reached forward and put a hand on Rachel's shoulder. His eyes were kind and warm as he looked down at her and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. "I don't blame you."

* * *

**x.**

Once again, Rachel was over at the Hudson-Hummel house. This time, however, it was just her. Tina was out with her parents for the day, and Kurt and Rachel were getting ready to go shopping for their Homecoming dresses. Kurt had insisted on making sure that his outfit was perfect for going out, so that left Rachel waiting for at least an extra twenty minutes.

"When can I meet him?" Kurt suddenly asked.

Rachel's brow furrowed. "Meet who?"

Kurt poked his head out from his closet. "Your boyfriend, silly! When can Tina and I meet him?"

Rachel blanched. Ever prepared, she had come up with a rather sound back story for her fake boyfriend. But she hadn't gotten much farther than that. She hadn't even changed her relationship status on Facebook, since she didn't want to draw more attention to the situation than was necessary.

Rachel decided to put her excellent acting skills to use. "I don't really know, to be honest," she said to Kurt. "He goes to school up in New York, so he doesn't have a lot of time to come down and visit."

"Is he in college?"

"Yes, he is." Rachel wasn't going to elaborate any further if she didn't have to. She wanted to keep her answers as vague and as simple as possible.

"So I'm assuming you met him during your summer in New York, then."

"You have assumed correctly."

"But weren't you dating—"

"Don't say his name!"

"I wasn't going to say his name!" Kurt stepped out of his closet in his perfectly coordinated outfit. "So how did you meet him?"

"He was staying in the same building as my aunt," Rachel explained. Over the summer, she had spent two months with her aunt up in New York City. While there, she had met with and dated a boy that had unfortunately broken her heart. It was a summer fling, but the guy had been a complete and total jerk. "We became friends and he recently asked me out. While we both know that a long distance relationship will be difficult, we believe that we can make it work."

"And his name is… Cory."

"Yes."

"He sounds cute. Hopefully, one day I'll be able to meet him."

Those words shook Rachel more than anything else. She gave Kurt a small smile and stood up before she decided to escape downstairs. She needed a minute to gather her feelings before she spent the rest of the day with Kurt.

* * *

**xi.**

Just as Rachel was coming down the stairs, Finn was bringing his bag up from his room. He was getting ready to head back up to school, so he had been spending the day packing his things up. When he caught sight of the look on Rachel's face, Finn stopped and caught her by her wrist.

"Hey." Finn's brow was furrowed in concern. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Rachel sighed and looked over her shoulder to make sure that Kurt wasn't going to come down the stairs. Then she grabbed Finn's hand and towed him towards the kitchen. She bit down on her lower lip, chewing on it through her stress.

"Kurt keeps asking questions about my supposed boyfriend," Rachel finally said. "And he said he wants to meet him, and… well, he can never meet him, can he? Because he's made up! And I feel horrible for lying to my closest friends when all they were trying to do was help me. I don't know what to do, Finn!"

"Okay, okay." Finn put his hands on Rachel's shoulders and turned her to face him. "The first thing you have to do is calm down. Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Looking into Finn's eyes, Rachel did as she was told and breathed deeply with him. He gave her a crooked smile when he felt her shoulders relax the tiniest bit under his hands. His thumbs rubbed soothing circles on her arms.

"Rachel, you may feel bad about lying to them, but you did it because you just wanted a break. It's all going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" Rachel asked desperately. It just hit her that she had to create this elaborate lie for her friends, and she felt terrible about it.

An unreadable look came on to Finn's face before he squeezed Rachel's shoulders. "Because I'm going to help you pull this off, Rachel."

* * *

**xii.**

"You need to explain this to me again." Rachel settled on to her bed and clutched one of her pillows to her chest. She had been thinking about this all day since Finn had suggested it.

Rachel had agreed to it right away. But she had so many questions. And honestly, she couldn't deny that a part of her was excited. Her little secret crush on Finn Hudson was quickly becoming full blown.

On the other end of the line, Finn chuckled. "Rachel, I thought I told you to relax."

"I am relaxed!" When Finn started laughing again, Rachel took a deep breath. "I am relaxed. I just want to know what the plan is."

"I'm going to help you pull of this fake boyfriend scheme you have going on. Rach, you just need to let me make the next move, okay?"

"But Finn…" Rachel played with the edge of her blanket. "Why are you doing this? Please don't misunderstand me. I'm very grateful to you for helping me. But I can't say that I understand why you suddenly decided that you want to be my fake boyfriend."

Rachel could practically hear Finn smiling. "Kurt is my brother. I know how he is. You just seemed really stressed out and you looked like you could use some help. What's that saying? Don't look a horse in the mouth when you get a present?"

Rachel couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. "The saying is actually "don't look a gift horse in the mouth." But I understand what you're saying. Thank you, Finn. I really, truly appreciate this."

"It's really no problem, Rach."

That was the second time Finn had used that nickname, and Rachel found herself smiling because of it. He had just started using it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Rachel was so caught up in the warm feelings spreading through her that she almost missed Finn's next words.

"I want you to have the next movie night at your house," Finn ordered.

"What? Why?" Rachel questioned. Finn was already back up at Pace University. She wasn't entirely sure what he was planning on doing.

"Don't worry about it," Finn said. "It's going to be a surprise. Just trust me, okay?"

And Rachel did. She really did trust Finn. "Alright. I trust you."

* * *

**xiii.**

As requested, Rachel made sure that the next movie night was held at her house. Thankfully, neither Kurt nor Tina questioned the location change. Rachel, on the other hand, had been on edge all day. She couldn't stop herself from wondering what Finn had planned.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait very long to find out. It was only twenty minutes into the movie that the doorbell rang. Kurt started complaining about the interruption as Tina tried to placate him. Rachel set the popcorn aside and stood up, making her way over to the front door.

She was greeted with a large bouquet of pink tulips. Rachel's eyes widened in surprise as the guy holding them said, "Delivery for Rachel Berry!"

"Yes… That's me." Rachel signed for the flowers and took them. She caught a glimpse of Kurt and Tina's curious faces as she carried the vase into the living room and set it on the coffee table.

"Oh my gosh!" Tina exclaimed. "Those are beautiful! Where are they from?"

Rachel took a moment to admire the arrangement of flowers in front of her. They really were very beautiful. The vase was simple and crystal, and the pink tulips (her favorite) were simply and perfectly arranged. Looking closer, Rachel realized that the edge of the vase was lined with small gold stars (another one of her favorites). Rachel's heart filled with a feeling that she couldn't exactly describe.

"There's a card!" Tina pointed out.

Before either Tina or Kurt could get it, Rachel snatched it out of the bouquet. She quickly tore it open and pulled the small, pink card out. Rachel couldn't control the bright smile that came onto her face as she read what was on the card.

"Well?" Kurt demanded impatiently. "What does the card say?"

Rachel turned the card around so that both Kurt and Tina could see it as she read it out loud. "_Rachel, I saw these flowers and thought of you. They're beautiful, but not as beautiful as you are I miss you._" It was signed with the name Cory, but Rachel had seen Finn's handwriting enough time to know that it was his. He had changed it up enough that Kurt probably wouldn't be able to recognize it.

"Those are from the boyfriend!" Tina gushed. "That is so sweet!"

Kurt nodded his head in agreement. "That really is sweet. It looks like you might have picked a good man, Rachel."

Rachel beamed and held the card to her chest as she sat back down. She certainly had.

* * *

**xiv.**

When Finn picked up, he spoke before Rachel could greet him. "So I'm assuming that you got the flowers?"

"I did, Finn!" Rachel had already brought them up to her room and set them on the dresser. She admired them as she sat down at her desk. "They're perfect."

"I'm glad you liked them."

"The gold stars and the pink tulips…" Rachel shook her head in wonder, even though Finn wasn't there to see her. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways," Finn said. "But I'm glad that everything worked out."

"It really did." Rachel reached over and picked up the card. "Kurt and Tina completely bought it. Everything was wonderful." She opened the card and read the message inside it once again. It was simple and perfect and very Finn.

"I'm working on the second surprise," Finn said.

"Second surprise? What second surprise?"

"Well, I wouldn't be a very good fake boyfriend if I only sent you flowers once, now would I? Let me know if they start bugging you with questions again."

"I will. And Finn… thank you again. For the flowers, I mean."

And even though Rachel couldn't see him, Finn smiled as well. "It wasn't a problem, Rach. When I saw them, I thought of you."

* * *

**xv.**

"You should have seen it," Kurt gushed as Rachel sat down at their lunch table. "They were the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen."

Rachel looked between Tina, Kurt, and their other two friends, Artie Abrams and Mercedes Jones as she pulled her fork out. "What flowers? Did you get some flowers, Kurt?"

"Of course I didn't get any flowers. I was talking about the flowers that Cory sent you. It was such a nice arrangement of flowers. That boy's mother taught him well."

"The vase even had gold stars on it," Tina added. "He knows Rachel very well. Why didn't you just date him in the beginning?"

Rachel just shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose I didn't realize what I had when it was right in front of me." Truer words had never been spoken. Finn Hudson was turning out to be the best boyfriend she could have asked for… too bad he was her fake boyfriend.

While Kurt went on to describe the flowers in more detail, Rachel took her phone out of her backpack and sent a quick text off to Finn, detailing the topic of their discussion. She should have known that Kurt and Tina would tell Artie and Mercedes. She smiled when Finn sent a text back saying that his next surprise was definitely going to have to top the flowers, then.

Mercedes's voice pulled Rachel from her thoughts. She looked up and immediately put her phone away. " What?"

The four other occupants of the table just shared a look. "Texting Cory?" Artie asked.

Kurt snorted. "As if you couldn't tell by the smile on her face."

"If you must know, yes. I was texting Cory. Now what was it that you asked, Mercedes?" Rachel's cheeks were burning with a bright blush, but she did her best to downplay it.

Mercedes smiled. "We were just wondering when we would finally be able to meet lover boy."

Rachel hid her groan. "I don't know. He's very busy with schoolwork. It isn't exactly easy for him to just come to Lima, Ohio."

"Right. He goes to college up in New York city." When Rachel nodded her head to Artie's question, he then asked, "Where does he go?"

Rachel quickly scrambled for an answer. It would be too obvious if she said Pace University, so she named the first school that jumped into her mind. "NYU."

"And what year is he?" Mercedes questioned.

"He's a sophomore," Rachel said without thinking. Oh well. The fact that she named NYU as "Cory's" school should have thrown them off enough.

"Ooh, so he's an older boy. Very nice."

Tina clapped her hands together in sudden excitement. "I just had a fantastic idea! You should invite him to the dance!"

"What?" Rachel shook her head. "Absolutely not. I doubt that Cory would want to come to some high school dance."

"You'll never know unless you ask him," Kurt pointed out.

Rachel didn't respond to that. But she certainly didn't plan on asking Finn to pretend to be Cory at a dance. She wasn't even entirely sure that they would be able to pull that off.

* * *

**xvi.**

When Rachel arrived at school the next day, she opened her locker and found a small box wrapped in white paper with a pink bow on top. With a furrowed brow, she took the box from her locker and turned to Tina and Mercedes, who happened to be with her.

"Do either of you know how this could have gotten in here?" she asked. When her two friends shook their head, Rachel quickly opened the present. A small slip of paper fell out, and she opened it.

"_For my shining star,_" she read out loud. And it was signed with the name Cory. This must have been Finn's second surprise. With her heart thudding hard in her chest, Rachel opened the small box.

Nestled inside was a gold necklace with a delicate chain. Right in the middle of the chain hung a small charm in the shape of a star. Rachel gasped and lifted the necklace from the box. Finn had gotten this for her? It was beautiful.

"Rachel, he's perfect. Cory is absolutely perfect," Tina declared. Her voice brought Rachel back to the present, and she nodded her head.

"He really is," she whispered.

"Well?" Mercedes said when all Rachel did was stare at the necklace for several long moments. "Put it on! And then take a picture of yourself and send it to the boy so he can see how much you liked his present."

"I wonder how he got in your locker," Tina mused. "That is so romantic!"

Rachel was wondering the same thing, and she resolved to ask Finn later. For the time being, however, she just put the necklace on and allowed Mercedes to take a picture of her wearing it. Rachel had already changed Finn's name to Cory in her phone in the event that one her friends took it and tried to look through it, so she didn't object when Mercedes sent the picture off to him.

A few minutes later, they got a text back with one word: "_Beautiful._"

* * *

**xvii.**

"How did you get the necklace into my locker, anyway?" Rachel asked. The school day was now over and Rachel was up in her room, admiring the way her new necklace complimented everything about her—especially her personality.

Finn chuckled. "I keep in touch with Coach Beiste. I explained the situation to her and she was more than willing to help. I shipped the necklace to her a few days ago and she snuck it into your locker for me."

Rachel sighed as she traced the little charm with her finger. "Finn, this is too much."

"No it wasn't."

"Finn." Secretly, Rachel was thrilled that Finn had sent her such a beautiful necklace. But she couldn't actually accept it. Especially since Finn wasn't her real boyfriend… much as she wished he would be. "Really. The necklace is beautiful, but I can't accept it."

"I want you to have it," Finn said firmly.

"Why?" The questions slipped from Rachel's lips before she could stop herself. But she was too curious. She just had to know why Finn would make such a gesture.

She could hear that smile again in his voice. It was a smile that she was beginning to think that he made only around her. "Because you are going to be a star one day, Rachel Berry. I'm pretty sure it was you that said that your thing for gold stars was a metaphor for you being a star. And you also said that metaphors are important, so…"

Rachel smiled. That had been something that she had said ever since she had discovered what a metaphor was. "Wait. How did you know that I said that? I don't think I've ever said it to you."

"You may not have said it to me, but you have said it when I've been around," Finn said. You've been best friends with Kurt since he was ten. You've been over the house enough times for me to hear you say it."

Rachel bit her lip. "And you… You remembered it?"

There was a pause before Finn said, "I did."

Rachel felt that warm feeling spread through her body again. "Oh, Fi—" She stopped abruptly when the door to her bedroom slammed open. Kurt, Tina, and Mercedes all appeared. "Cory!" Rachel suddenly shrieked into the phone.

Finn sounded extremely confused. "What?"

Rachel couldn't very well explain the situation while her friends were standing in the room. "Cory, the necklace was beautiful. I loved it. Thank you so much!"

It didn't take long for Finn to catch on to what was happening. "Oh. Is Kurt in the room?"

"Yes. All of my friends loved it."

"Ah. Um… should we just continue this conversation later?"

Before Rachel could answer, Kurt stalked up to her and held his hand out. "Give me the phone," he demanded.

"What?" Rachel pulled the phone away from her ear and cradled it to her chest. "No."

Kurt surprised Rachel by lunging for her. It took a few moments of struggle, but Kurt eventually wrestled the phone away from Rachel. Tina and Mercedes restrained her as Kurt held the phone to his ear while he straightened his shirt.

"Hello, Cory," Kurt said. "My name is Kurt Hummel, and I happen to be one of Rachel's closest and dearest friends. I think it's time that you and I have a little talk."

* * *

**xviii.**

Rachel paced back and forth outside of her bedroom door. She couldn't believe that her friends had kicked her out. They had actually kicked her out so they could talk to "Cory," AKA Finn Hudson. She didn't know what was going on in there, but apparently Finn had done something so that their cover wouldn't be blown. She had no idea what it was, but she was grateful for it. Kurt had run out of the room, screaming that she had made up a fake boyfriend yet, so all must have been going well.

The door to her bedroom suddenly opened and Kurt, Tina, and Mercedes all filed out. They were all wearing bright smiles on their faces as they passed her. Kurt handed Rachel her phone back and patted her cheek.

"He passed the test," Kurt declared.

Rachel blinked at him. "What?"

Her three friends simply made their way down the stairs and out the front door. Before they could leave, however, Tina called back, "And tell him that we're so excited to meet him at the masquerade formal!"

"_What?_"

* * *

**xix.**

As soon as she was sure that they were gone, Rachel immediately called Finn once again. He answered on the first ring, so he must have been waiting for her.

"What did you say?" Rachel demanded as soon as Finn picked up. "What did he say? Was Kurt the only that you talked to? Or did you speak to Tina and Mercedes as well? What did you say to them? How did they not know it was you?"

"Rachel, Rachel," Finn called in a soothing voice. "Calm down. Okay? Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Rachel did as Finn instructed and breathed in and out deeply for a moment. In a slightly calmer voice, she asked, "What happened?"

"They all took turns talking to me," Finn explained. "They asked me a few questions. It really wasn't that bad."

"How did you disguise your voice? I half expected Kurt to guess it right away."

"I kind of did this thing with a southern accent. I'm not really sure how good it was, but Kurt seemed to buy it."

"A southern accent? Finn, I told them that you lived in New York."

"So? I could have lived in Texas before I lived in New York."

"Right." Besides, she thought that Finn would be very cute with a slight southern accent. "Well, what did they ask?"

"The usual relationship questions," Finn told her. "I actually kind of felt like they were questions that your dads would ask. They just wanted to know what my intentions were towards you. You know, that sort of thing."

"And…" Rachel reached out and fingered one of the pink tulip petals. "What did you say?"

Finn's voice was gentle now as he spoke. "I told them that I just wanted to make sure that you were happy. That I would always look out for you and that I would do everything in my power to make you as happy as I possibly could."

"Finn…" Rachel trailed off. She was completely at a loss for words. That was so sweet, and she really wished that Finn had actually, truthfully said that about her.

"Yeah," Finn said.

They sat in a simple, comfortable silence for several long moments. Rachel's fingers fiddled with her new necklace, and she couldn't stop herself from smiling whenever she saw it. She really hoped that it wouldn't be weird that she still wanted to wear it after this little charade was over.

Something that Tina had said before she left suddenly came to the forefront of Rachel's mind. "Finn, what was Tina talking about when she said that they were excited to meet you at the masquerade formal?"

"Oh, that." Finn suddenly sounded a little nervous. "Well… Mercedes kind of mentioned it. And then Tina suggested that I should come. And then Kurt told me about all of the details."

"You said that you couldn't come… right?" When Finn didn't say anything, Rachel began to panic. "Finn, what are we supposed to do?"

"Rach, it's a masquerade ball," Finn said quickly. "It'll be dark and everyone will be wearing masks. I figured with the accent and the mask, Kurt wouldn't be able to identify me easily. We'll just hang around long enough for me to meet him as Cory, okay?"

"I don't know, Finn," Rachel said. "I'm really not sure about this…"

"Rachel. Remember when I asked you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm asking you to trust me again. Please."

Rachel looked at the tulips and then down at her necklace. "Alright," she said quietly.

* * *

**xx.**

"So? How do I look?"

Rachel turned to find Finn dressed in his black suit. He was classically dressed, and he had on a black mask and a hat to hide his messy mop of hair. He looked _amazing_. Finn had only gone to change into his suit a few minutes ago, and he looked as if he could walk the red carpet. It almost seemed unfair for him to look that attractive.

"You look great," Rachel finally said. She picked up her dress bag and pointed to the bathroom. "I'm just going to change now."

Like they had for every dance since beginning high school, Kurt had Tina, Mercedes, and Rachel over so that they could all get ready together. Rachel had begged out of arriving at the dance with them, since she had to go pick "Cory" up from the train station. But Kurt had insisted on helping her do her makeup and hair.

He had done natural, light make up on her and had swept her hair up into an intricate twist with a few wisps of hair framing her face. They had gone shopping weeks ago to find her the perfect dress. Honestly, out of all the formals that she had been too, Rachel loved this dress the most.

It was silver and hugged her body at the top before flowing to the ground. It rippled every time she moved and she kind of felt like a movie star in it. Rachel fastened her own black mask over her eyes before she went to join Finn.

His lips parted when he caught sight of her. "Wow, Rach," he breathed. "You look… you look amazing."

Rachel blushed but she didn't look away from Finn's eyes. "Thank you," she said. He held his arm out and she slipped her hand around it. "Now, are you absolutely _positive_ that you're ready to do this? I mean, absolutely, positively, completely and utterly _certain_."

Finn gave her an amused look. "Yes, Rachel. I'm sure that I can handle this, believe it or not. I've even been practicing my accent." With his free hand, he tipped his hat. "Howdy, ma'am."

Rachel giggled. His accent was actually quite good. That, coupled with the mask hiding his face and the hat hiding his hair, should make it very difficult for anyone else to realize that it was actually Finn Hudson she was going to the dance with.

They could totally handle this.

* * *

**xxi.**

Rachel was thankful that it was so dark, since it really allowed for Finn to be unrecognizable. The official meeting between "Cory" and all of her friends had gone smoothly, and they were all none the wiser. When they had started asking about college, Finn decided that Cory was majoring in business but wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the degree yet. He spouted off random information about the program until Kurt, Mercedes, Tina, and Artie had stopped asking questions. They were currently off getting refreshments, so it was giving Finn and Rachel a bit of reprieve.

"That was amazing, Finn," Rachel whispered. "How did you know all of that?"

Finn shrugged his shoulders. "One of my roommates, Sam, is majoring in business at Pace. I just repeated what he told me. I really hope that none of them realize the difference."

Rachel reached over and patted his hand. "You're doing a wonderful job, Finn. You're so confident. They won't ask any questions." Rachel honestly didn't know why she had been so worried before. Finn was handling himself with such confidence.

Finn snorted. "I'm normally not this smooth. We should enjoy it while it lasts."

With a laugh, Rachel stood up and tugged on Finn's hands until he stood up as well. "Then we should dance before it ends."

Finn groaned. "Rach, I don't dance. You know that."

Even though half her face was hidden by a mask, Rachel turned and gave Finn her best pout. "Please, Finn? I mean, Cory? Please come and dance with me."

Finn sighed. "Okay, fine."

Just as they walked onto the dance floor, the fast, upbeat song that was playing turned into a slow one. To Rachel's surprise, Finn rested his hands on Rachel's waist and pulled her close. Rachel slid her arms around Finn's neck and they swayed back and forth.

"See?" Rachel said. "This isn't so bad."

Finn was looking down at her. It was even harder to read the look on his face than it normally was since it was so dark. "It's not," he agreed. His hands tightened on her waist and he pulled her a little closer. Rachel's heart rate immediately increased and she tried not to get her hopes up.

Before Rachel realized it, Finn's lips were suddenly on hers. His lips were gentle and surprisingly soft against hers, and Rachel tightened her arms around his neck and strained up on her tiptoes, returning the kiss just as eagerly.

Eventually, they broke apart. Finn rested his forehead against Rachel's. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that."

"Really?" Rachel asked. "You've been waiting to do that?"

Finn took Rachel's hand and led her out of the gym. "Come on. We should talk."

* * *

**xxii.**

Finn and Rachel ended up in the auditorium. She stood up on the stage and Finn smiled when he saw her up there. He joined her in the middle of the stage and took her hands in his once again.

"Rachel, why do you think I agreed to be your fake boyfriend?" Finn asked.

Rachel tightened her fingers around Finn's. "Are you still going to be my fake boyfriend?"

"I was actually hoping that I could be your real boyfriend."

In response, Rachel threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again. She could feel Finn smiling against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. This kiss was deeper than the first, and Finn's tongue traced her bottom lip. Rachel's lips parted and she let out a quiet moan when she let him in.

"But I have a boyfriend named Cory," Rachel muttered when they pull apart.

Finn grinned. "I'm Cory."

"And no one knows that. They know Cory. They don't know Finn."

"But Cory is Finn and… Oh. I see the problem. As far as everyone knows, you're dating Cory. Oops."

Rachel nodded her head and rested it against Finn's chest. She curled her fingers into his jacket and reveled in the fact that Finn's arms were wrapped around her. "And I made such a big deal about not wanting a boyfriend because I wanted to focus on college applications and then I made up a fake boyfriend to stop them from bothering me."

"And how do you feel about having a boyfriend now?" Finn asked.

Rachel smiled and reached up to kiss him again. "I don't mind it." With a sigh she looked up at him. "What are we going to do?"

"I'll still be Cory until we figure something out," Finn offered.

"And you know…" Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck again. "Cory is Finn."

Finn smirked and kissed her. "So I guess you have two awesome boyfriends."

* * *

**xxiii.**

Rachel strained to see Finn, who was over at the refreshment table with Kurt. She shouldn't have let them go off together. There was too much of a chance that Kurt would recognize Finn, even with the mask and the hat.

"So where did the two of you disappear off to?" Tina asked.

Rachel forced herself to look away from the table. "What?"

Tina smiled. "You and Cory. You two went off for a good twenty minutes."

"Oh, that. Cory and I were just… bonding."

"Bonding?" Tina giggled. "Is that what you call it now?"

Rachel rolled her eyes in response but was glad that it was dark enough to hide her blush. She and Finn had definitely done some "bonding" after they had figured out what their new relationship meant.

"Anyway," Tina said. "I just wanted to show you something. Kurt snapped this picture while you and Cory were dancing."

Tina handed Rachel her phone. A picture was already pulled up, and Rachel tilted the screen towards her. She gasped when she saw the moment that Kurt had managed to capture, and then she smiled.

They had managed to snap the picture just as Finn's lips had touched Rachel's. Both were wearing smiles on their lips and it was just a really perfect picture. Rachel stared at it for a long moment before she turned to her friend.

"You have to send it to me," Rachel said. "Please."

"Of course!" Tina exclaimed. "And I expect to see it in your room soon."

It was then that Finn and Kurt came back over. Finn set a drink down in front of Rachel, and she smiled as he bent to kiss her cheek as he sat down.

"What are you two looking at?" he asked. Rachel showed him the picture on Tina's phone, and Finn grinned. His eyes sparkled behind his black mask and he leaned forward to press a soft, tender kiss to Rachel's lips. "Perfect," he breathed as he pulled away.

* * *

**xxiv.**

Rachel was already eagerly waiting for Finn's Thanksgiving break. She only had two weeks until he would be home for five days. She still couldn't get over the fact that everything with the masquerade formal had gone smoothly. The night before had been one of the best that Rachel had in a long time.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her musings. It opened and Kurt poked his head in. Rachel smiled and gestured for him to enter. Tina and Mercedes followed, and all three of them were wearing large smiles.

"Well, Cory passed the test," Kurt declared as he settled on her bed. "He's a fabulous boy and he seems absolutely smitten with you."

Rachel smiled and touched the necklace around her neck. "I really like him," she admitted. "And I kind of wished I would have realized it sooner."

"Well, now you're with him," Mercedes pointed out. "And the two of you looked like you were having a great time."

"And you're so cute together!" Tina gushed. "Rachel, you should have just told us about him sooner. We wouldn't have tried to set you up with so many lame guys."

"Hey!" Kurt exclaimed. "Tom wasn't lame. He was very nice, actually."

Rachel giggled. "I told you that he was more your type." Her phone buzzed on her desk, and Rachel smiled when she saw that she had received a text message from "Cory." She picked it up and typed out a response to his message.

"Aw, look." Mercedes nudged both Tina and Kurt to get their attention. "She's texting that boy of hers."

"You can totally tell by that smile she has on her face. That, friends, is a full Rachel Berry beam," Kurt added.

Rachel threw a pillow at her friends in response to their teasing. But she didn't really mind it.

* * *

**xxv.**

Finn grinned when he caught sight of Rachel at the train station. "How did you manage to pull this off?"

"I might have heard that your entire family was busy today and thought that I might save you from a day of boredom. Unless you don't want me here…" Rachel gave him a teasing smile and acted like she was going to walk away from him.

Finn strode towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. "Don't put words in my mouth, Rachel Berry," he murmured before his lips came down over hers. He kissed her deeply, threading one hand in her loose hair.

"Mmm." Rachel smiled as he pulled away. She reached up and pressed another light kiss to his lips. "You can greet me like that any time you want."

Finn chuckled and took her hand, lacing their fingers together as they walked towards her car. "I'll keep that in mind."

For the most part, the car ride was spent in a comfortable silence. As they neared their neighborhood, Finn asked, "Do you mind if we make a little detour?"

Rachel's brow furrowed. "You don't want to stop at your house first?"

Finn took Rachel's hand. "I was actually kind of hoping that I could take you on our first date."

Rachel's heart squeezed and she beamed at him. If she weren't driving, she would have kissed him then and there. She had half a mind to pull over and do it anyway. Instead, she just said, "Just tell me where to go."

Finn directed Rachel to a small café on Main Street. When they got there, Finn quickly got out of the car and opened the door for Rachel. They held hands as they walked towards the door together. They took a seat and ordered their meals.

"This is nice," Rachel said. "Thank you for doing this."

Finn grinned at her and squeezed her hand. "I thought that we could get our first date in while we could. I don't know how much time we'll have together during this break. Honestly, I plan on squeezing in as many dates as I can. We have another three weeks until winter break starts."

"And then we'll have a whole month together," Rachel said dreamily.

* * *

**xxvi.**

Thanksgiving break passed quickly. The three weeks following went by just as fast. Before Rachel knew it, it was mid-December and Finn was walking into the Hudson-Hummel house. He grinned and sent a wink Rachel's way when he saw her.

"Thank God you're here, Finn," Kurt said. "We're about to go Christmas caroling."

Finn sighed. "Kurt, I just got back from school. Can I have at least half an hour?"

Kurt stared critically at him. "You have ten minutes."

Giving his brother an amused look, Finn said, "I'll work with it." He went to go drop his stuff off in the bathroom. Another minute passed before Rachel excused herself to go to the bathroom. But she made a detour through the kitchen and down into Finn's room. As soon as she stepped down the stairs, she felt Finn's warm fingers close around her wrist. Grabbing her by the waist, he spun her until she was pressed up against the wall.

"Finn," Rachel gasped.

"Hey baby," Finn muttered before his lips came down over hers. Rachel locked her fingers in Finn's hair and moaned into the kiss. Finn pulled back to trail his lips down from Rachel's. He kissed down her jaw and to her neck, where he gently nibbled on her pulse point. Rachel moaned again.

"Finn," Rachel repeated. She had to struggle to string words together because Finn's touch was clouding her mind. "We only have… five more minutes until Kurt comes looking for you."

"That gives you and me three more minutes until you have to go back upstairs," Finn mumbled against her neck. He kissed her again, bringing one of his hands down to cup her behind. He pulled her closer against him, and Rachel rolled her hips into his.

"Do we really have to go caroling?" Finn groaned. "Because I can think of plenty of other things that we can do that will be a lot more fun."

Rachel kissed Finn again. When she pulled away, she said, "Unfortunately, we have to. Your entire family has been planning to go caroling since the beginning of December. And my fathers are coming as well."

"Great. Your fathers will be there, too. Can't wait."

Rachel smiled and brought him close to kiss him again. She nibbled on his bottom lip and then ran her tongue over it. "Maybe if you're good tonight, you'll get an early Christmas present."

Finn kissed Rachel quickly before he took her hand and towed her back up the stairs. "Let's go, then!"

Caroling did turn out to be a lot of fun. Finn got to hear Rachel's beautiful voice as she sang. They even secretly held hands as they made their way from house to house.

* * *

**xxvii.**

Rachel was resting against Finn's chest in her room. It was the day after Christmas, and even though she had already celebrated Hanukkah with her family, Rachel had jumped fully into the holiday spirit because it was Finn's favorite. She traced her fingers over the shirt he was wearing and titled her head up to smile at him.

"Finn, I can't believe that you got me tickets to _West Side Story_," Rachel said. "I can't wait to go up there."

Finn had gotten Rachel tickets to see the revival of one of her favorite shows. He had a whole day planned in the city for them. Rachel had gotten Finn an authentic jersey from his favorite hockey team. In fact, he was wearing it at that very moment.

"I'm glad. Do you want your birthday present now? I know it's late, but…"

"Finn, you didn't have to get me a birthday present!" But Rachel was already sitting up in eager anticipation of the present. So she loved getting presents. And Finn definitely didn't disappoint.

He pulled out a box and handed it to Rachel. She quickly opened it and found a picture frame. The picture inside was one that Finn and Rachel had taken over Thanksgiving break. They weren't wearing any masks or fancy clothes. It was just Finn and Rachel, and they were grinning at each other.

"I know that you can't have this out right now, but I thought it would be nice if you had an actual picture of us. You know, of Rachel and Finn instead of Rachel and Cory."

Rachel stared at the picture for another long moment before she set it aside and threw her arms around Finn, bringing him close for a kiss. It escalated quickly, and Finn and Rachel shed each other's clothes and soon it was just skin against skin. Rachel moaned as Finn kissed all over her chest and then closed his lips around her nipple. Rachel wrapped her fingers around his hard length and nodded her head when he asked her if she was sure.

Rachel laced their fingers together as he pressed into her for the first time. Finn stayed completely still over her and kissed away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "I love you," he breathed.

Rachel stared up at him with wide eyes. She could see nothing but truth and love in his amber eyes, and she knew that he was being completely honest and genuine. She squeezed his hand and whispered back, "I love you, too."

And then she nodded her head, and Finn began moving inside her. Eventually, Rachel began to move her hips with Finn's. She gasped when colors exploded behind her eyes and she came hard. Finn followed her over the edge, groaning her name into her neck.

They lay there panting, wrapped up in each other's arms. Finn pressed a kiss to her temple and smoothed her hair back. "I really do love you, you know," Finn muttered.

"I know." Rachel kissed his chest. "I really love you, too."

* * *

**xxviii.**

"Something weird is going on."

Artie nodded his head in agreement as Kurt sat down. "I know. I haven't seen Rachel all winter break. This normally isn't like her. We haven't even had our annual cookie swap."

Mercedes laughed. "I thought you didn't like that."

Artie made a face at her. "I lied. Who doesn't like cookies?"

"Anyway." Kurt drew the attention back to himself. "I've only seen Rachel once or twice this break. And I haven't even really seen Finn, either. I just don't understand what's going on."

"I haven't even heard Rachel mention Cory since the first week of December. You don't think they broke up, do you?" Tina asked.

Mercedes shook her head. "She's up in the city visiting Cory right now, remember?"

"And Finn went back to school to visit friends. Who am I supposed to amuse myself with over this break?" Kurt demanded.

Tina rolled her eyes. "What are we, chopped liver?"

While Tina, Kurt, and Artie continued to bicker back and forth, Mercedes got a thoughtful look on her face. She thought about everything that had happened since Rachel had started dating Cory. And then she started making connections. And suddenly, everything made sense.

"Yo!" Mercedes exclaimed. Her shout put an end to all bickering, and everyone else looked at her. "We're all fools."

* * *

**xxix.**

Sometimes, Rachel really loved that both her fathers went on extended business trips.

She let out a loud cry as Finn pounded into her. He had her pressed against the wall of her bedroom and she had her hands locked tightly in his hair. Finn brought his lips down to her neck and sucked hard, causing Rachel to let out another loud moan.

"Finn! Oh God, _Finn!_" Rachel screamed.

Finn brought his hand down between them and rubbed at the sensitive spot between her legs. "Come on, baby," he growled. "Come for me."

All it took was Finn's husky words and then Rachel was shattering in Finn's arms. He followed her over the edge, holding her tightly. They remained pressed against the wall like that for several long moments before Finn carried Rachel to her bed. They settled under the blankets and Finn combed his fingers through her hair.

"That was amazing," Rachel said.

Finn chuckled. "It definitely was. I—" Before he could finish, however, the door to her bedroom slammed open. Kurt, Tina, and Mercedes all came stomping in.

"RACHEL BARBRA BERRY AND FINN CHRISTOPHER HUDSON! HOW DARE YOU HAVE A SECRET RELATIONSHIP—OH MY DEAR SWEET GAGA, YOU'RE NAKED!"

Finn and Rachel responded by pulling the covers over their heads.

* * *

**xxx.**

"Oh, I'm so glad that the two of you are finally wearing clothes," Kurt said as Finn and Rachel joined them downstairs. "That is definitely something I never need to see again. I think I'm scared for life."

Finn rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, Kurt."

"Cutting the chase, we just don't understand why you two decided to keep it a secret for so long," Mercedes said.

"Probably because Rachel was dating Cory," Tina pointed out. "Did you even break up with him before you started this thing with Finn?"

"I already told you that Cory is Finn," Mercedes said. "Am I right?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, there is no way Finn would pretend to be Rachel's boyfriend. And why would she make up a fake boyfriend, anyway?"

When both Mercedes and Tina opened their mouths to argue their sides, Rachel decided that she needed to put an end to this. "I did make up a fake boyfriend," Rachel said loudly. "And Finn did pretend to be that boyfriend."

Mercedes gave them a smug smile and nodded her head while Kurt and Tina blinked in surprise. "Why?" they chorused at the same time.

Rachel sighed. "Because you two were constantly trying to set me when I didn't want to be. So I ended up concocting the fake boyfriend story so the two of you would leave me alone. And Finn knew what was going on and offered to help out when I got in a little over my head."

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he gestured between Finn and Rachel. "But I'm still trying to figure out how this fake relationship became a real one."

Finn wrapped an arm around Rachel and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love Rachel."

Mercedes snorted. "Yeah, we kind of figured that out."

Kurt ignored her. "I gathered. But how did that happen?"

Finn smiled down at Rachel. "Being Rachel's pretend boyfriend made me want to be her real one."

"And I've always had a bit of a crush on Finn," Rachel finally admitted. Finn chuckled and gave her a tender kiss.

Kurt nudged Tina. "I told you that she would have a boyfriend by the end of the year."

* * *

**xxxi.**

"Finn? What was that?"

"Uh… Nothing!"

Rachel paused in her unpacking of the kitchen. She made her way through her and Finn's new apartment until she found her fiancé in their bedroom. She had to bite back a smile when she found him standing there sheepishly, holding one part of a shattered vase in his hands.

Finn gave her that half smile that he knew she could never resist. "Did I ever tell you how much I love you?"

Rachel couldn't even pretend to be angry. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You're lucky that I love you. You're also lucky that I didn't really care for that vase."

"Didn't Kurt buy that for you?"

"Don't tell him."

Finn chuckled and bent to press a light kiss to her lips before he turned to pull something out of one of the boxes. He set it on the dresser drawer and then stepped aside so that Rachel could see what it was.

Rachel beamed. It was the first two pictures that they had ever taken together as a couple—the one from the masquerade formal and the one from Thanksgiving break. Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and pulled him down to kiss him.

"What do you think?" Finn asked when she pulled away.

"I think it looks wonderful," Rachel said.

Finn smirked and brought his hands down to cup her behind. "So what do you say we christen the rest of this apartment?"

"I think that sounds like an excellent idea." Rachel wasn't even finished speaking before Finn swept her up into his arms and carried her into the living room. And then they proceeded to make their new apartment their home.

* * *

**Author's Note: So I hoped that you all liked this story. I had a lot of fun writing it! Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you thought! And for those of you that celebrate, happy holidays!**


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